Americana Corner Awards $7,500 to Canterbury Shaker Village

Canterbury Shaker Village has been selected as a 2024 Americana Corner Preserving America Grant recipient with a $7,500 award to preserve ten windows in its historic Meeting House. Awarding more than $1.4 million in 2024, the Preserving America Grant Program was established to assist nonprofit organizations in telling “the incredible story” of America from its founding through its first century as a nation.

“We thank Americana Corner for this timely grant,” explained Shirley Wajda, Ph.D, Curator of Collections. “Getting this project underway during the 250th anniversary year of Shakerism in America is another form of celebration of the Shakers’ contributions to our history.”

The visual and spiritual focal point of the Village and the first building constructed by the Canterbury Shakers in 1792, the Meeting House is the oldest Shaker meeting house in its original form and location. A two-and-a-half-story, 3,800-square-foot, wood-framed, gambrel-roofed building, the Meeting House is among the least changed of all the structures in the Village.

The Village will begin restoration of the windows this spring. “Completing this project allows us to begin other needed preservation activities recommended for the building, such as interior finishing and exterior painting,” added Wajda.

About Canterbury Shaker Village

Featuring 694 acres of forests, fields, gardens, nature trails, and mill ponds under permanent conservation easement, the Village is designated as a National Historic Landmark with 25 restored original Shaker buildings and 4 reconstructed Shaker buildings. In addition to tours, exhibits, and programs, Canterbury Shaker Village provides wonderful, relaxing, and beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces for weddings

Canterbury Shaker Village is a member of the NH Heritage Museum Trail, which connects the public with culturally rich heritage institutions in New Hampshire. For more information about The Trail, visit nhmuseumtrail.org.